If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

I hate to ask but what color is her stool ... sort of a greenish gray? Does it have the appearance of sort of clay? Is she constantly hungry ... almost like she's starving? Does she have a tendency of trying to eat the stool?

These are all things you should tell your vet to help him diagnose the problem.

Over feeding could be it. I've recently stepped up her amount because we're working daily and 2-3 times a day on the weekends and she was looking a little thin

I could not feed my male enough to keep weight on him during hunting season. I upped the amount and he got the runs and was doing a lot of straining. I took a stool sample to the vet as I always do when one of the dogs have a problem and the vet found nothing. So I tried Proplan Salmon Sensitive Skin & Stomach. No more stomach trouble, I was able to feed enough to get weight on him, and his coat never looked better. Also taking in a sample will allow your vet to evaluate for problems like Eric is eluding to.

"For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required." -- Luke 12:48

It is always a good idea to check for parasites, etc., but it might be the dog food. The same thing happened to us when my male was younger. We had him on Canidae Dry and they changed the formula and were very quiet and secretive about it. Eventually after a larger number of people questioned what was going on and did some detectivework, the truth came out that it wasn't exactly the same dog food as before. Whatever they added or took out caused gassy symptoms, poor stools and some coat issues. When we changed foods, the symptoms disappeared. We switched to Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach for the male.

Remember how much junk food you could eat and not gain a pound when you were 16? Remember when you realized you couldn't eat like that anymore because you were older and less active? Its the same for dogs. First, i would just lessen the amount of food. she won't starve to death. I bet you see a change. If that helps then you can also change the kibble size. I don't know whay it works but I went from pp large breed to pp regular size kibble and it made a difference. If your still concerned about her size change food to a higher cal per cup instead of increasing total cups fed.

If your still concerned about her size change food to a higher cal per cup instead of increasing total cups fed.

I've spent many hrs now researching her current food and others. I've decided to change her food to a higher protein and fat content food so I can cut things back a bit. If I think she needs a little more at times i'll giver her a bite during the day, instead of trying to pile more food in one feeding.

I've spent many hrs now researching her current food and others. I've decided to change her food to a higher protein and fat content food so I can cut things back a bit. If I think she needs a little more at times i'll giver her a bite during the day, instead of trying to pile more food in one feeding.

You might try dividing her once a day ration into two evenly divided meals, one in the AM and one in the PM. Too much volume on her gut all at once can cause colitis. You will get loose stools with mucus and sometimes even blood. It can look like a serious illness, but the dog usually acts fine except they may tend to strain at the end of a bowel movement because the inflamation in the lower bowel makes it feel like they're not done.

When on occassion I have a dog with colitis from a "dietary indiscretion" this is the routine I follow.

1. Fast for one day (NO FOOD!) to rest their gut.
2. Feed rice and/or boiled hamburger for three days.
3. Put them back on their regular diet slowly.

If you try to rush the process and get back to loose mucusy stools you have to go back to step one.

I've spent many hrs now researching her current food and others. I've decided to change her food to a higher protein and fat content food so I can cut things back a bit. If I think she needs a little more at times i'll giver her a bite during the day, instead of trying to pile more food in one feeding.